All wars, it is said, are economic. Leaders, however, need to get public buy-in. To illustrate, the lords of Woodfin are telling the peasants out in the county that the evil lords of Asheville would occupy their lands if Woodfin did not do so first. The peasants, however, have not yet had enough government outreach and education to fall for the line.
“We already have law enforcement, we already have fire, our garbage is taken care of,” Resident Megan Richardson told [The Mountain] Xpress. “I would pay $400 more in taxes and get nothing out of it. I think they’re just using this to try and pay their bills. We’re outraged.”
The lords of Woodfin have more than doubled their territory since 2000, and the proposed takeover would increase their current holdings almost 50%. By way of contrast, the evil lords of Asheville have only annexed bits and pieces of territory in recent history, yet they are seen as a gorilla with a voracious appetite for out-county peasant lands. Asheville’s vice mayor, Jan Davis, said the city was not interested in these territories, as they would cost too much to service.
